Ross originally said he wanted the question added at the request of the Justice Department, which was seeking a better count of voting-age citizens to enforce protections against voting discrimination under the Voting Rights Act. Ross later said he came up with the idea after consulting with various government officials — and only then sought DOJ support for the idea.

“The addition of the citizenship question is a naked act of intentional discrimination directed at immigrant communities of color that is intended to punish their presence, avoid their recognition, stunt their growing political power, and deprive them and the communities in which they live of economic benefits,” according to the lawsuit filed by the American Civil Liberties Union, the New York Civil Liberties Union and the Arnold & Porter law firm.